The Aux Sable Middle School student and Plainfield resident puts in a full day at school and also participates in wrestling, baseball and football.

But the 13-year-old said everything else moves aside when he enters the Rocket Boxing Gym in Oswego.

There, Erik follows his boxing dreams.

Chris Chodhary said he has been coaching Erik for about five years, and gave him the nickname "Peanut" because of his diminutive stature years ago.

Weighing in these days at 119 pounds and standing 5-feet 6-inches tall, Erik has compiled a 8-2 record during his budding career, Chodhary said.

Erik is quiet and nonchalant about what he does in the ring.

He said he likes how the physical nature of the sport lets him blow off steam.

"Everything just gets clear" in the ring, Erik said.

The teen was a flurry on a recent night at the gym as he worked the focus pad with Chodhary.

His dedication has paid dividends thus far, Chodhary said.

Erik was a state Silver Gloves champion in his weight class from 2011 to 2013. He won a regional title in 2013 and recently came back from his first time at the National Silver Gloves amateur tournament.

He lost in the semifinals of that tournament, something Chodhary surmised was due to the bright lights and the big stage of a national competition.

"He still fought hard although I know he was not even close to his best," Chodhary said.

But even when things don't go his way, Erik has sense enough to glean what he can for future bouts, according to his coach.

"Regardless if he wins or loses, he goes back to the drawing board," Chodhary said. "Losses give you a lesson, but he learns a lot from wins too. He's hungry."

The coach said he would like to see Erik in more bouts, but that it is sometimes difficult due to his other sports and the difficulty of finding matchups for kids his age and size.

Chodhary said Erik is his top youth fighter and that the goal is to get to the junior Olympics — and hopefully beyond.

"I've seen him come a long way," Chodhary said. "He was the smallest kid in the gym when he first came in."

Erik possesses skills at such a level for his age that he often spars with adults in the gym, according to his coach.

"I think that's what makes him tough," Chodhary said.

Erik also has that intensity and drive required of top athletes, his coach said.

"The kid is like a sponge," Chodhary said. "He absorbs everything I tell him."

The teen is relentless about training, going at least three times a week, and said he loves boxing in general.

What's more, Chodhary said, he is fast.

"His timing, speed and reflexes are really awesome," Chodhary said.

Erik, who counts Floyd Mayweather, Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson as his favorite boxers, said anyone looking to step in the ring needs to remember that the sport is all about "mind over matter."

Sitting in the gym's lobby, Erik's mom, Melissa Warden, said her son's sporting schedule is always busy but that he loves boxing more than the other sports.

It's also a good way to sap the energy of a kid who has a non-stop motor, she said.